The Annotated Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
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Book Reviews of The Annotated Pride and Prejudice
Book Review: Annotating Jane Austen
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many, I've read Pride & Prejudice a number of times. This annotated version forced me to slow down, and I noticed things that slipped by me in other readings (P&P is a "page turner" after all; like a good thriller you want to keep reading). Who knew, for example, that there was "cross-dressing" in Jane Austen? (Lydia and Mrs. Forster dressed Chamberlayne up as a woman and he "passed" for a lady until the ladies laughed). My approach was to read the annotations for a chapter before reading the chapter and then browsing through them again as I read the chapter; this helped me to avoid getting too headache-y from shifting between text and annotation. I would take issue with a few of his interpretations, but they are only minor quibbles. And I agree there was a lot of repetition, especially of word meanings. I especially appreciated the extra comments in the concluding chapter from her letters, on the future fates of Kitty and Mary and others. This is well worth reading if you are interested in a slightly deeper look at P&P. Too soon to say, but my hope is that the next time I read P&P (sans notes), I will enjoy it more than ever.Book Review: Oh, my god, please stop this Annotator Before He Goes Mad
Summary: 2 Stars
This is a decent facing-pages edition, where annotations are on the right side of the page, and the main text of the novel on the left. Somewhere along the line, the annotator must have gotten it into his head that he had to fill each annotation page with notes, so that there was no blank space on the annotation page. While some of the annotations are useful, others are outright laughable; for example, the annotation for "teazing". We are told it means "teasing". Very helpful, I'm sure. In addition, another annotation tells us that "fine", means "elegant, refined". As a final example, we are told that the word "ideas" means "thoughts". Please...
When annotation is taken to the extent of glossing the obvious it has become annotation out of control. This is unquestionably annotation out of control, which then, in turn, marginalizes the annotations that are useful---such as that regarding Mr Bingley's blue coat which, we are told, informs us that he is a fashionable person. I give it two stars, because it is a readable edition, that is nicely laid out. However, the annotator is clearly in dire need of an editor!
Book Review: For those of us who just can't get enough "P & P"
Summary: 5 Stars
For those of us who are Pride and Prejudice addicts, this is a perfect book. The format couldn't be better--each page of text has a facing page of notes. The notes, some with illustrations, cover every conceivable detail--archaic word usages,
carriages and horses, modes of dress, dances, courtesies and restrictions,
economic issues, even the difference between the militia and the regular army. I did glean for the first time, because of this book, that the Bennets lived at a higher standard of luxury than most of their neighbors, and were the prominent people, next to the Lucases, in their immediate neighborhood. The financial prospects of the daughters were dismal, but their contemporary living standard was quite good. The recent P & P film with Keira Knightley, godawful imo in many ways, showed them living practically alongside their farm animals. But that's a different review.
If you thought there was nothing else you could glean from P & P, you might be pleasantly surprised or enlightened by this book. Plus, for a true Janeite, another reason to re-read this book will never go amiss.
Book Review: Variegate your knowledge web
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this book, thinking I would dip into it here and there over time, but I read it straight through (I had read Pride and Prejudice years ago). This book has a fascinating wealth of information on almost every page: clarification of word meanings, relevance of a particular episode to the rest of the story, historical notes, clarifications from the correspondence of Jane Austen, etc. It immensely deepened my understanding of the book, Jane Austen, and the period. I originally bought it because I was leading a graduate seminar on The Origin of Species, and I thought it might help clarify some of Darwin's locutions -- things that while understandable are not completely understandable because of a certain amount of drift in word meaning (Austen wrote earlier, but not greatly earlier than Darwin). The Annotated Pride and Prejudice did illuminate Darwin to some extent, but I pretty much sidelined this aspect and simply read it for the tremendous enjoyment of reading Jane Austen under the direction of a knowledgeable Austen scholar.Book Review: My thoughts
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all I have never written a review before and will probably never again but felt it necessary in this case. Pride and Prejudice doesn't need a review (and if you are searching for such a detailed version, you have most likely already read the story and love it). However, this annotated version is absolutely wonderful and has such detail to it. Yes, many things are repeated but not at all with a sense of arrogance or heavy-handedness. It seems more likey to me that with all of the obvious research and care put into this version that why would you leave out small notations so not to annoy some readers. It would be like running a race and almost finishing and what fun would that be. Like I said, never have and probably never will review another book but the care and the work that was put into the annotated version has moved me to do so now. Very well done!